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Life Communications - Volume 5, No. 7 May, 1995
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This newsletter is intended to provide articles and news information to
those interested in Pro-Life issues. All submissions should be sent to the
editor, Steve .
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1) Australian Territory Legalizes Voluntary Euthanasia
The Northern Territory of Australia recently became the first state in the
world to legalize voluntary euthanasia; its parliament passed the Bill
introduced by the former Chief Minister, Marshall Perron, by 15 votes to
10. Ten hours of debate were spent on the first stage of the bill, before
an initial vote on considering the bill with a large number of amendments.
This crucial vote was passed 13-12. Details of the amendments agreed to
are not yet available, but they include a five-day cooling-off period
before a request for euthanasia can be carried out and a requirement that
one of two doctors agreeing to the request must have psychiatric
qualifications.
It is clear that the legislation is still not confined to residents of the
Northern Territory and can be used by other Australians, but the situation
with overseas visitors is not clear. Media reports indicated that early
in the debate, the numbers were definitely 13-12 against, but that one MP,
an aboriginal from the opposition Labor Party, switched sides at the last
minute. His reasons are not yet known - including whether it had anything
to do with Marshall Perron's recent resignation as Chief Minister.
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2) China Denies Harvesting Fetuses
China has denied that hospitals in the booming southern economic zone of
Shenzhen have been selling human fetuses as a health fad. Charges that
human fetuses aborted in hospitals were being sold were refuted as "sheer
fabrication" and a "distortion of facts." In its rebuttal, carried by the
_Agence France Presse_, the Beijing-funded HKCNS claimed the story
originated when a couple from Hong Kong went to a maternity and child-care
clinic in Shenzhen early last month and asked whether there were human
fetuses for sale. The woman said she consumed fetuses for her health.
Despite the fact they were told no fetuses were for sale and the clinic
had no idea that fetuses could be used as health food, the couple
insisted on having one. The report said they were given "a bottle of
abortion extracts" the following day, and were told, "You can have it for
free, as no one wants such a thing."
Representatives of _The Daily Telegraph_'s Foreign Desk were questioned,
concerning if their original story on "Foetus Eating in China" by Yojana
Sharma in Hong Kong sounded was a legpull, and questioning if the story
had since been repudiated. They responded that the story had not been
repudiated in the _Telegraph_, adding that "Joy [Yojana Sharma
presumably] is a pretty reputable journalist for us." and that they
"would have been surprised if she had been caught short on that one."
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3) Ireland: North and South
*Dublin, Republic of Ireland* ABORTION INFORMATION ACT CONFIRMED
The Irish Supreme Court issued its judgment on the abortion information
legislation, which was recently passed to it by the president, and ruled
that it was entirely constitutional. When the court heard arguments
against the constitutionality of the Bill, it was claimed that on one hand
it went too far in infringing the rights of the unborn, and on the other
that it did not go far enough in recognizing the rights of the mother.
The judgment rejected both arguments. It also rejected an argument that
the natural law superseded the Constitution. The court went on to tell
doctors that, while they are not free to arrange abortions for patients,
they can liaise with doctors in foreign abortion clinics once an
appointment has been made. [ Translation: doctors may give out price
lists for the various abortion houses in England to anyone with a "crisis"
pregnancy.] Following the judgment, President Robinson signed the Bill
into law.
RESPONSES:
The Irish College of General Practitioners has compiled an abortion
information pack for use by its members in the course of their duties. Its
most controversial aspect is the inclusion of details, including prices,
of British abortion clinics. Doctors who are opposed to abortion are not,
of course, obliged to provide any information to patients, nor are they
expected to provide the name of a doctor who has different views.
The Irish Family Planning Association claims that it will defy the new
Abortion Information Bill and will make appointments for clients at
abortion clinics in Britain.
*Belfast, Northern Ireland* BRAIN DAMAGED WOMAN MAY BE STARVED
On May 5 the High Court ruled that the artificial feeding system which has
kept a woman alive for the last 20 years can be withdrawn. The action was
taken by the family of the brain-damaged woman who has remained in a coma
since undergoing a minor operation more than 20 years ago. The case was
opposed by the institution in which she is being cared for and by the
State. This was the first time that such a case has been heard in Northern
Ireland and, in delivering his judgment, Justice Lynch said that he was
not deciding on the morality of the course of action being suggested by
the family, but on its lawfulness.
Dr. Bill Tormey, a leading opponent of euthanasia, fully agreed with the
judgment and hoped that the institution would not appeal the decision. Any
appeal must be made within 21 days.
*Belfast, Northern Ireland* NO ABORTION HERE, THANK YOU
The British Government recently reiterated that it will not extend its
liberal abortion laws to the North. This announcement followed combined
lobbying by UUP, DUP and SDLP politicians.
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4) American Shorts
*Washington, DC* MICHIGAN MAY OUTLAW ASSISTED SUICIDE
The U.S. Supreme Court turned down an appeal by Dr. Jack Kevorkian and
let Michigan continue to outlaw assisted suicide. The court rejected
Kevorkian's appeal of a Michigan Supreme Court ruling that said there is
no constitutional right to assisted suicide. Kevorkian sought to block his
prosecution in five deaths in Michigan, where he faces murder charges in
the deaths of two people and assisted-suicide charges in three others.
*Washington, DC* RESPONSE TO CHINESE CANNIBALISM REPORTS
Rep. Frank Wolf (R.-Va.), one of the House GOP's leaders on international
human rights issues, is taking the allegations of the sale and distribution
of fetal remains as health food very seriously. In early May, he called a
press conference on the subject declaring: "Cannibalism is the word some
would use to describe this practice. Other appropriate words would be
despicable, vile, immoral, inhumane and profoundly exploitive." Wolf is
urged House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde (R.-Ill.) and House
Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chairman Chris Smith (R.-N.J.) to convene congressional
hearings on the matter and is further demanding that the Clinton
Administration immediately begin a U.S. investigation.
On the Senate side, Foreign relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms
(R.-N.C.) last week began his own hearings on China's alleged selling of
aborted fetuses and the recent disclosures that the Chinese government is
trafficking in the organs of recently executed prisoners. Both Wolf and
Helms are demanding that if government selling of human fetuses or organs
is confirmed President Clinton reverse his "de-linkage" of human rights and
the granting of Most Favored Nation status for China promulgated last year.
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5) ProLife Profile: THE ELLIOT INSTITUTE
The Elliot Institute was founded in 1988 to perform original research and
education on the impact of abortion on women, men, siblings, and society.
Their publication, _THE POST-ABORTION REVIEW_, is a quarterly journal of
the Elliot Institute for Social Sciences Research, and concerns itself with
the effects of abortion after the fact.
The following is a sample taken with permission from their Fall,
1993 issue:
ABORTION AND THE FEMINIZATION OF POVERTY
Abortion advocates claim that the right to abort unplanned pregnancies
empowers women. They view unplanned children as the cause of lost
education and career opportunities. Abortion, they claim, enables
women to control their lives, pursue their dreams, and ultimately
improve their socio-economic status.
But this argument presupposes that the birth of an unplanned child has a
negative effect on women's lives and that abortion has a positive, or at
least neutral, effect. Recent evidence shows otherwise.
Thomas Strahan, a researcher with the Association of Interdisciplinary
Research, recently reviewed over 26 studies relating to abortion's
impact on the socio-economic status of women. These studies show the
following:
> o Women who have had abortions are at greater risk of suffering
> emotional and psychological problems which may interfere with
> their ability to concentrate, make decisions, and interact with
> others, thereby reducing their level of job skills and employment
> opportunities.
> o Post-abortion women are more likely to engage in drug and alcohol
> abuse, often as a means of "numbing" negative feelings stemming from
> the abortion. This will in turn affect their ability to function in
> the workplace and may inhibit their ability to enter into meaningful
> relationships.
> o Women who have had abortions are more likely to become pregnant
> again and undergo additional abortions. Nearly 50% of all abortions
> are repeat abortions. These repeat abortions do not represent
> "satisfied customers." Instead, post-abortion women often seek
> replacement pregnancies to make up for the aborted child, but find
> themselves faced with the same social pressure which led to the
> first abortion. There is also evidence that some women undergo
> repeat abortions as an act of "self-punishment" or as attempt to
> "harden" themselves to negative feelings stemming from their first
> abortion.
> o Compared to their peers, teenagers who have had one abortion are
> four times more likely to have a subsequent abortion. Almost 20% of
> teen aborters have a second abortion within a year, and 38% have a
> second abortion within 5 years.
> o Women who have had abortions are more likely to subsequently require
> welfare assistance, and the odds of going on welfare increase with
> each subsequent abortion.
> o Women who have repeat abortions tend to have an increasing number of
> health problems and greater personality disintegration, which
> increases the likelihood of their needing public assistance.
> o Post-abortion women have greater difficulty establishing permanent
> relationships with a male partner. They are more likely to never
> marry, more likely to divorce, and more likely to go through a long
> string of "unsuccessful" relationships. This inability to form a
> "nuclear family" reduces household income and increases the
> probability that the woman and her children will require public
> assistance.
> o Women who had repeat abortions are more likely to desire children and
> are likely to carry one or more subsequent "replacement" pregnancies
> to term.
For information contact:
The Post-Abortion Review
P.O. Box 9079
Springfield, IL 62791-9079
(217) 546-9522
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6) What Works: Don't Limit the ProLife Perspective
Most vocal and enthusiastic opponents of abortion tend to base their
arguments on religious foundations. Unfortunately, most pro-choice
activists simply don't acknowledge the subjective mechanism of "morality"
as a suitable authority in the abortion debate. This impasse needn't
frustrate the pro-life argument, however. Aside from the religious and
moral refutations, there are plenty of logic-based, scientific and
political rationales against abortion.
In an effort to be able to defend this perspective, every pro-lifer should
become familiar with other, non-traditional pro-life approaches. The
backgrounds and beliefs of participants in abortion debates vary widely,
and limiting the pro-life perspective is anathema to winning the abortion
debate.
For example, PLAGAL, (ProLife Alliance of Gays and Lesbians) makes the
argument that abortion serves as a potential eugenic vehicle. "Just like
homophobia," states the PLAGAL web page, "abortion tries to get rid of real
human beings who are considered threatening or undesirable. Just like
homophobia, abortion denies one's place as a member of human society, and
even one's right to be alive in it."
And a group of feminists, typically considered liberal and pro-choice,
have broken from the stereotypical pack to form Feminists For Life,
a group supporting both feminist and pro-life philosophies. At their web
site, one can access the anti-abortion sentiments of feminism's
foremothers, including:
*Susan B. Anthony*
> She called abortion "child-murder."
*Elizabeth Cady Stanton*
> "When we consider that women are treated as property, it is
> degrading to women that we should treat our children as
> property to be disposed of as we see fit."
*Victoria Woodhull*
> _Woodhull's and Claffin's Weekly_ proclaimed, "The rights of
> children as individuals begin while yet they remain in the foetus."
In addition, Judy Fetters, a pro-life atheist, lucidly illustrates that
pro-choice thinking fails to live up to its statistical and scientific
reputation in her 1994 article, "Why Should Atheists Be Pro-Life?"
published in _SisterLife_, a quarterly newsletter of Feminists for Life.
Says Fetters: "As an atheist, one of the most ironic discoveries I made
when I became pro-life was the cultist nature of the followers of choice...
I started asking questions and was 'answered' with slogans. Dissatisfied
with slogans, I continued asking questions and was accused of being
'anti-choice'. To question was taboo; information from pro-lifers was
'heresy', and I had become a 'heretic'."
Look for other pro-life perspectives, as well, and give yourself the
broadest base of knowledge and opinion when attempting to disarm the
pro-choice argument.
- Stephanie Herman
[ Access the PLAGAL web page at ; Feminists For Life at
; Fetters'
article at
For more information, contact Atheists and Agnostics For Life, c/o Pro-life
Provex, P.O. Box 4574, Fayetteville, AK, 72701-9998. Ed. ]
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7) Announcements
*Pro-Life Litigation Bank* ATTENTION PRO-LIFE LAWYERS: Tired of having to
"re-invent the wheel" on pro-life cases? Thanks to D.D. Woxniak, you
needn't be. Minnesota Lawyers for Life now has a brief bank, with access
for MLL members for a modest copying and handling charge. Available briefs
include:
> o NOW vs. Schiedler
> o Lamb's Chapel v. Center Moriches Union FreeSchool District
> o Capitol Area Right to Life, Inc. v. Downtown Frankfort
> o Operation Rescue v. Women's Health Center, Inc. (Florida)
> o Winfield v. Kaplan
> ..and others
For information, contact:
> William N. Koster, President
> Minnesota Lawyers for Life
> 17663 West 67th Street
> Eden Prairie, MN 55346-2130
*Free Cable-Ready Videos* Air a pro-life video on your local cable
community channel. (It's free!) Choose from a list of 12 pro-life videos,
including "Chance of a Lifetime," "Meet the Abortion Providers," "Dear
Children," etc. No charge for videos. You pay $25 mailing expense. How-to
sheet included in package. Contact: Tim DeRyan, c/o Life Issues
Television, 818-757-7308 .
*AANFP Meeting - July 12-15, 1995* The annual meeting of the American
Academy of Natural Family Planning (AANFP) will be held in St. Louis,
Missouri. Rev. Stephen Torraco, PhD, will deliver the keynote address on
the topic of "The Incarnation and Politics of the Family: The Alternative
of Least Resistance." He will also speak on "Tradition and Excellence:
Natural Family Planning and the Third Millenium." Other talks include Dr.
Thomas W. Hilgers on Natural Procreative Technology, Ingrid Trobisch on
"The Confident Woman," Peter Danis, MD, on "Promoting the Health of the
Family through NFP," and many more. The annual Science and Research Forum
of the AANFP is also a prominent feature of the program.
For further information, including how to register, please contact:
> Sr. Julianna Jervis, RN, CNFPP
> St. Mary's Regional Medical Center
> Voice: 702-789-3079 FAX: 702-789-3679
*Pro-Life Products* For a FREE color catalog of our designs, or for more
information including fundraisers send mail to or
Visions of Glory, Inc., 104 Westmoreland, Collinsville, IL 62234 Phone:
1-800-377-7247.
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8) Reader Questions
I read somewhere (I have forgotten where) that C. Everett Koop, the former
Surgeon General, has endorsed Henry Foster's nomination to be the next SG?
Is this true? If it is, it puts the Foster nomination in a whole different
light, since Koop's medical and pro-life credentials are immpeccable.
- Respectfully, David Cruz-Uribe, SFO
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9) Reader Responses
Shenzhen Health Food [v5n6]
_Humanae Vitae_ talked about this degradation of our views once we accepted
the contraceptive mentality, did it not? Sick? That is the understatement
of the year.
Repulsive would be more like it.
- Bryan D. Boyle
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Quote of the Month:
"If you don't approve of abortion, don't have one."
If you don't approve of slavery, don't own slaves.
- Marty Helgesen
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| Credits: |
| 1 - From Reuters and |
| 2 - Details of Chinese denial from 5 May _Agence France Presse_ report. |
| Many thanks to reader Christopher Coope for personally contacting |
| _The Daily Telegraph_ for their comments. |
| 3 - Dublin news courtesy of 15 and 22 May, 1995 issues of _The Irish |
| Emigrant_ (432 & 433). Belfast news from the 27 February and 29 May,|
| 1995 editions (421 & 434). To subscribe: .|
| 4 - Court information from an AP report from April, 1995, courtesy of |
| reader Sean Smith. House and Senate responses to the PRC reports |
| from the May 12, 1995 edition of _Human Events_ "Inside Washington" |
| column (p.7). For subscriptions call 1-800-787-7557. Many thanks to |
| reader James Fish and the _BIRCH BARK BBS_ 414-242-5070. |
| 5 - Courtesy of the _Catholic Information Network_, 619-449-6030; 14,400|
| BPS. Many thanks to reader Tim DeRyan. |
| 7 - AANFP information courtesy of reader Dr. Joe Stanford. |
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Anyone desiring information on specific pro-life groups, literature, or help
with problems is encouraged to contact the editor
For those on the web, there is a preliminary WWW page at
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file: /pub/resources/text/ProLife.News: pln-0507.txt
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